GREEN TECHNOLOGY

Profit and sustainability aren’t opposing forces for supply chains

Kallikor AI is a start-up originating out of metaverse pioneer Improbable Worlds. Their software, originally created for computer games, is now used to help companies simulate different scenarios and model solutions across complex supply chain operations. CEO Jonathan Barrett...

If strawberries could talk, they’d reduce waste

A new generative AI chatbot allows ‘things to talk’ with companies about their carbon footprint. The WiliBot chatbot enables natural-language conversations with any ambient IoT-connected product, according to Internet of Things (IoT) company, Wiliot. When the power of generative AI is...

UK’s largest biochar site announced

Plans have been revealed for the UK’s largest biochar production facility in Wiltshire, which will stop local organic waste going into landfill. Biochar is black carbon produced from biomass like wood chips and agricultural waste through a process called pyrolysis. Now...

Concrete turned into carbon sinks

New technology is turning demolished concrete – the world’s biggest waste stream - into a carbon sink. Neustark and Aggregate Industries have partnered on the scheme, with the first site operating in Greenwich, London. The aim is to permanently store and...

Earth scientists: an endangered species?

A recruitment crisis in geoscience threatens to derail the UK’s sustainability journey, says Graham Grant, CEO, Seequent G rowing up, what did you want to be? According to a recent BBC survey, today’s teens aspire to be doctors, engineers, teachers, and...

COSMIC mission to clean up outer space

A UK satellite company is taking on an astronomical cleaning-up feat in space. Astroscale UK specialises in satellite servicing and long-term orbital sustainability. It has been awarded £1.95 million contract by the UK Space Agency to continue development of its...

Bacterial batteries recharge in soil

‘Bacteries’ harvest electricity from soil in a new form of sustainable power. Bactery, a University of Bath spinout company, has developed bacteria-powered batteries – or ‘Bacteries’ – which harvest green energy from soil by taking advantage of natural processes that...

Starmer’s ‘low-hanging fruit’ solutions to improve energy efficiency in the built environment

Research reveals that eight in ten people who switched their vote from Conservative to Labour since 2019 think the outgoing government didn’t do enough on energy efficiency. With swift action expected from this one, Glynn Williams, UK Managing Director, Grundfos,...

Is seaweed the next-gen plastic?

In a potential boost for coastal economies, seaweed is being converted into biodegradable packaging. Award-winning start-up PlantSea, based in Wales, has pioneered a seaweed-based flexible film that holds both liquids and dry products. The film is 100 per cent biodegradable...

Hero and villain: AI can limit its own eco damage

AI’s potential to enhance data centre sustainability has been overshadowed by its undeniable environmental impact, says Julien Deconinck, of DAI Magister. Data centres are expected to account for 6% of the world’s carbon footprint by 2030. It is undeniable that the data-intensive workloads...

Global food insecurity is sky-high – satellites can help

Bogdan Gogulan, CEO of space-tech private equity firm NewSpace Capital, explains the role that earth observation satellites can play in eliminating hunger. Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen, was the alarming headline of a...

New handbag ‘skips the cow’

A concept ‘snakeskin’ handbag has been created out of brewers’ waste from London’s Beer Mile. The unique bag is made from New Grain™, a leather-like material devised by Arda Biomaterials from spent grain, a byproduct of beer brewing and whisky...

Kebony: carving out the future for sustainable timber

Kebony is regarded as a market leader in the production of tropical hardwood alternatives. Marc Schneider PhD, inventor of its innovative dual modificationâ„¢ technology, reflects on where it all began. Although Kebony was founded in 1997, the scientific origins of...

Tackling global plastic waste…with chewing gum and old fridge parts

A Heriot-Watt University academic explores new materials for sustainable mass production of LFTs. Discarded chewing gum, collected from UK streets, has been used to produce prototype lateral flow tests (LFTs) with the aim of cutting medical waste across the world. Working...

New Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures

A major new Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures (CDT-GIF) has launched to drive the UK’s green industrial revolution forward. The Centre builds on the pioneering work of the £20 million UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Industrial Decarbonisation Research...

Training the next generation of mathematical climate scientists

Mathematics is at the core of many breakthroughs in climate science, including understanding the impacts of events such as flooding on society. The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has been announced as a major partner in a new £16 million centre...

Homes heated by human poo could soon be a reality

A project to transform sewage sludge into clean water and energy has been awarded a share of £4.5 million by Ofwat. The project involves extracting energy from the waste produced during sewage and water treatment and transforming it into hydrogen...

How Green Tech Can Help Save Corals: Lessons from the Red Sea

By John Pagano, CEO, Red Sea Global, A century of exploitation has severely harmed our planet’s biodiversity, particularly in our oceans, where pollution, overfishing, and more recently climate change, are pushing nature to the brink. Coral reefs are especially vulnerable. Rising ocean...

Putting Sustainability into Your Digital Transformation

Sustainability is one of the largest considerations for businesses worldwide with 96% of G250 companies reporting on sustainability or ESG matters. And sustainability cannot, and should not, be forgotten in your IT advancements and digital transformation, says Chris Weston,...

Made in the UK: fact or fiction?

In light of the recent Boohoo mislabelling controversy, Josh Simpson, co-founder of sustainability rating app Impact Score, asks: can consumers be sure of anything anymore? Making properly informed, sustainable purchasing choices can be a challenge for consumers, especiallywhen they are...

Can one maritime AI project really cut 1% of all global emissions?

NAVTOR’s Bjørn Åge Hjøllo explains how the Green AI for Sustainable Shipping (GASS) initiative looks set to help shipowners and operators slash fuel consumption, emissions and OPEX, ushering in a smarter, greener, more connected maritime future. Sorry, what did you...

Greener tea brewed from waste

Waste tea clippings are generating greener energy for factories in Kenya. Kenya produces £1 billion of tea a year, with up to a quarter of it destined for British tea bags. But the industry is threatened by an unreliable and expensive...

Precious metals recycled from military devices

The Royal Mint and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are collaborating on a sustainable solution to dispose of electronic defence equipment. It’s estimated that around 7% of the world’s gold is contained within electronic waste1, making it one of the...

Investment bank predicts 2024’s most influential climate tech trends

Clean energy, hydrogen, carbon capture and alternative proteins will all attract significant investment over the next year, says Marion Jeng, Associate at DAI Magister. 2023 proved a challenging 12 months for the climate vertical, with private equity and grant funding...

Low carbon homes lay foundations for future builds

Two low carbon prototype homes have performed very strongly under extreme test conditions. The houses were built last year in a unique Energy House 2.0 climate chamber at the University of Salford. They are the result of a partnership between the...

AI and ESG: Where do they overlap?

Both concepts are integral to modern corporate governance – and they’re here to stay. David Duffy, CEO of the Corporate Governance Institute, explains how to prepare your business for this ‘brave new world’. AI and ESG are two boardroom topics...

Budding growth for Wild Bioscience

Growth is afoot for Wild Bioscience, who specialise in developing high-yielding, climate-resilient crop varieties. Wild Bioscience’s name was born out of a belief that genetic solutions tested by nature over millions of years can be used to solve pressing challenges...

Green marketing vs generative AI: An environmental dilemma

Apeksha Mishra, Chief Product Officer at Investis Digital (IDX), believes the ‘More is less’ principle should be applied to this rapidly growing technology. The use of generative AI in business has transformed the way we work. Whether it’s helping draft...

Cybersecurity: the biggest hidden threat to sustainability

Cybersecurity is an emerging threat to business sustainability. It’s more important than ever to understand what it is, why it’s important and how to manage it. Companies shouldn’t treat it as a compliance cost or technical issue for the...

Global plastics crisis tackled by Prosperity Partnership

A Birmingham company has teamed up with the city’s university and other world-class experts to tackle the scourge of plastic waste. Aquapak Polymers Ltd, which specialises in polymer-based material technologies, has embarked on a £1.7m  project  funded by the Engineering...